Floor cleaner and floor cleaning chemical

ABSTRACT

A floor cleaner ( 10 ) including a fluid supply tank ( 14 ) of a first volume, a fluid delivery system ( 20 ) in communication with the supply tank, and a sealed pliable container ( 12 ) made of water-insoluble plastic film. The sealed pliable container having a second volume, a front panel ( 30 ) and aback panel ( 32 ) forming the second volume there between. The sealed pliable container having an upper end ( 38 ) when the front panel  54  and the back panel are in a vertical orientation, the sealed pliable container having a reinforced panel ( 42 ) at the upper end, an aperture ( 48 ) positioned through the reinforced panel above a center of gravity of the container. A concentrated floor cleaning chemical is in the sealed pliable container. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to floor cleaners.

Floor cleaners typically include a fluid supply tank that stores a cleaning solution and a fluid distribution system that distributes cleaning solution onto the floor. The cleaning solution is typically formed by a mixture of concentrated floor cleaning chemical and water. The user must measure the concentrated floor cleaning chemical before placing the chemical into the supply tank. This requires some type of measurement device to be on hand, such as a cap of the cleaning chemical container. Using the cap of the chemical container for measurement can be messy because of spills and residual cleaning chemical that remains in the cap when the cap is placed back on the container.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a floor cleaner includes a fluid supply tank of a first volume, a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank, and a sealed pliable container made of water-insoluble plastic film. The sealed pliable container having a second volume, a front panel and a back panel forming the second volume there between. The sealed pliable container having an upper end when the front panel and the back panel are in a vertical orientation, the sealed pliable container having a reinforced panel at the upper end, an aperture positioned through the reinforced panel above a center of gravity of the container. A concentrated floor cleaning chemical is in the sealed pliable container. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical.

In another embodiment, a method of cleaning a floor includes operating a floor cleaning machine having a supply tank of a first volume and a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank. The method also includes receiving a concentrated floor cleaning chemical provided in a single portion sealed pliable container made of water-insoluble plastic film, the sealed pliable container having a front panel and a back panel forming a second volume there between, the container having an upper end when the front panel and back panel are in a vertical orientation, the container having a reinforced panel at the upper end, an aperture positioned through the reinforced panel above a center of gravity of the container, the floor cleaning chemical having a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical. The method further includes emptying the floor cleaning chemical into the supply tank, filling the supply tank with water forming a floor cleaning solution, delivering floor cleaning solution to a surface to be cleaned through the fluid delivery system.

In another embodiment, a floor cleaner for use with a floor cleaning machine has a fluid supply tank of a first volume and a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank. The floor cleaner includes a first container, a sealed pliable container arranged with the first container, the sealed pliable container containing a concentrated floor cleaning chemical. The sealed pliable container is made of water-insoluble plastic film having a front panel and a back panel forming a second volume there between, the container having an upper end when the front panel and back panel are in a vertical orientation, the container having a reinforced panel at the upper end, an aperture positioned through the reinforced panel above a center of gravity of the container, the floor cleaning chemical having a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical. The front panel includes graphics configured for single package retail sale.

In another embodiment, a floor cleaner includes a floor cleaning machine having a fluid supply tank of a first volume and a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank. The floor cleaner further includes a concentrated floor cleaning chemical in a sealed pliable container made of water-insoluble plastic film. The sealed pliable container having a front panel and a back panel forming a second volume there between, the container being a multi-use container, re-sealably openable and selectively dispensable in a first use for spot cleaning and openable in a second use for emptying into the supply tank. The floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor cleaner according to one possible embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a container of the floor cleaner with the container in a closed position.

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 2A with the container in an open position.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a container of the floor cleaner according to another embodiment with the container in a closed position.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 3A with the container in an open position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container of the floor cleaner according to another embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of using the floor cleaner.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a retail display of the containers.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a floor cleaning machine 10. As will be discussed below, the floor cleaning machine 10 is used along with a sealed pliable container 12 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) that stores a single use amount of concentrated floor cleaning chemical for use with the machine 10.

The illustrated floor cleaning machine 10 includes a fluid supply tank 14, a recovery tank 16, a suction source 18, and a fluid delivery system 20. The fluid supply tank 14 is removably attached to the machine 10, which facilitates filing the tank 14 with water. The tank 14 includes a fill cap 22 that is removable to fill the tank 14 with water and concentrated cleaning chemical. The tank 14 has a volume being the maximum volume of liquid that can be stored in the tank 14. In one embodiment, the volume is between about ½ gallon and 3 gallons. Alternatively, the tank volume is between about ⅓ gallon and 1.5 gallons.

The suction source 18 includes a motor and a fan that are operable to generate a suction airflow through a suction nozzle 24 and the recovery tank 16. The recovery tank 16 separates recovered liquid from the suction airflow and stores the recovered liquid. The fluid delivery system 20 includes a spray nozzle and conduit that fluidly connects the supply tank 14 and the spray nozzle. The fluid delivery system 20 is operable to spray liquid in the supply tank 14 onto the floor.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the sealed pliable container 12 stores a volume of concentrated floor cleaning chemical that is mixed with water in the supply tank 14 to form the liquid cleaning solution that is dispensed onto the floor by the fluid delivery system 20. The container 12 is formed from a water-insoluble plastic film. That is, the container 12 does not disintegrate or dissolve when the container 12 is placed in water. Rather, the user must open the container 12 to dispense the concentrated floor cleaning chemical. The empty container 12 is then disposed.

The container 12 includes a front panel 30 and a back panel 32. A storage volume of the container 12 is defined between the panels 30, 32. The storage volume is the volume of concentrated floor cleaning chemical stored by the container 12. The illustrated panels 30, 32 both include an outwardly extending bubble 34 that facilities defining the volume of the container 12. The front panel 30 includes graphics or indicia 36 for retail sale and for identifying the type of chemical inside the container 12.

The container 12 further includes an upper end 38 and a lower end 40 when the container is in an upright vertical orientation as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. A reinforced panel 42 is located at the upper end 38. The reinforced panel 42 is configured to tear away from the remainder of the container 12. For example, the container 12 includes a perforation 44 that facilitates tearing away the reinforced panel 42 to the position shown in FIG. 2B. The reinforced panel is torn away to open the container 12. That is, exposing the opening 46 allows the user to empty the concentrated floor cleaning chemical into the fluid supply tank 14 of the floor cleaning machine 10. The reinforced panel 42 further includes an aperture 48. The aperture 48 is located adjacent the upper end 38 of the container 12 and above the center of gravity of the container 12 with the concentrated floor cleaning chemical. The aperture 48 can be used to hang the container 12 on a retail display (e.g., hook, clip, etc.). The reinforced panel 42 may be reinforced by welding the front panel 30 and the back panel 32 together around the aperture 48. Alternatively or additionally the reinforced panel 42 includes at least one piece of material adjacent one or both of the front panel 30 and the back panel 32 or positioned between the front panel 30 and the back panel 32.

The concentrated floor cleaning chemical stored in the container 12 is formulated to mix with water in the supply tank 14 to form a cleaning solution that is dispensed by the machine 10 onto the floor. The storage volume of the container 12 is sized to store an amount of concentrated cleaning chemical designed for a single use mixing into an amount of water equal to the volume of the supply tank 14. That is the total amount of concentrated cleaning chemical in the container 12 is designed to mix with a full or total volume of water equal to the volume of the supply tank 14 to achieve a desired or designed mix ratio of the concentrated cleaning chemical. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at the cleaning or in-use dilution being equal to the volume of container 12 divided by the volume of supply tank 14 times 100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical. That is, the desired or designed in-use dilution of the concentrated chemical is the total volume of chemical in the container 12 being mixed with the maximum amount of water that can be stored in the supply tank 14. In one embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at the cleaning or in-use dilution between 0.5 and 1 v/v%. In another embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at the cleaning or in-use dilution between 0.75 and 2 v/v%. In another embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at the cleaning or in-use dilution between 1 and 1.6 v/v%. In yet another embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical has a formulated volume percent concentration at the cleaning or in-use dilution between 2 and 5 v/v%. The desired in-use dilution for a given formulation of cleaning chemical may be a range of values such that an amount of cleaning solution equal to the storage volume provided in the container 12 can be mixed into a range of water volumes resulting in an in-use dilution within the desired range providing a desired cleaning performance. For example, the cleaning solution in the container 12 may be emptied into a supply tank containing 1 gallon of water or 1.25 gallons of water, either resulting in an in-use dilution of cleaning chemical within the range providing the desired cleaning action. Therefore, the container 12 is designed for single use with a machine selected from a group of machines having different volumes of supply tanks 14. The user empties the entire volume of concentrated chemical in the container 12 into the tank 14 and fills the tank 14 with water (see FIG. 5). The user does not need to measure the amount of concentrated chemical or water placed in the tank 14.

Referring to FIG. 5, the user empties the concentrated floor cleaning chemical (represented by arrow 52) in container 12 into the supply tank 14. The user also fills the tank 14 with water (represented by arrow 54) until the tank 14 is full. The user reattaches the supply tank 14 to the machine 10 (FIG. 1). The machine 10 is then used to distribute the mixture of water and chemical onto the floor. In the illustrated embodiment, the machine 10 uses the suction source 18 to recover the mixture through the suction nozzle 24 and into the recovery tank 16 where the recovered liquid is separated from the suction airflow.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrated an alternative embodiment of the container 10. The container 10 of FIGS. 3A and 3B includes an interlocking groove and ridge 58 that are used to reseal the container 10 after initial opening and allow for reopening. For example, a small amount of the concentrated floor cleaning chemical can first be used to spot clean a small area, such as a pet stain or small spill. The groove and ridge 58 are used to reseal the container 10 so that the remainder of the chemical can be used with the supply tank 14 as described above at a later time. In other embodiments, other types of resealable closures can be used (e.g., adhesive closures, threaded caps).

FIG. 4 illustrates a container 12 according to another embodiment. The container 12 includes a surface agitator 60. The surface agitator 60 is adjacent a lower end 40 of the container 12 in the illustrated embodiment. The surface agitator 60 may include a brush, such as a nylon brush, and the like. In other embodiments, the agitator 60 may include a cloth. Also, in other embodiments, the container 12 can include a chemical applicator. The chemical applicator may include nozzles or the like adjacent the upper end 38 of the container 12.

FIG. 6 illustrates a possible retail display 64 of the containers 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the display includes a carton 66 that holds multiple containers 12. In other embodiments, the containers 12 can be hung on a hook or strip, such as a clip-strip, using aperture 48. In some embodiments, the containers 12 are configured for use with different cleaning applications. For example, in one embodiment, the container 12 includes a first type of a concentrated cleaning chemical specifically designed for cleaning pet stains. Indicia on the front panel 30 indicates such. In another embodiment, the container 12 includes a second type of concentrated cleaning chemical specifically designed for spills, such as wine stains and indicia on the front panel 30 indicates such. In another embodiment, the container 12 includes a third type of concentrated cleaning chemical specifically designed for general cleaning (e.g., for cleaning dirt from carpet) and indicia on the front panel 30 indicates such. In one method of operation, the user selects the container 12 including the desired type of cleaning chemical based on the stain to be cleaned.

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A floor cleaner comprising: a fluid supply tank of a first volume; a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank; a sealed pliable container made of water-insoluble plastic film, the sealed pliable container having a second volume, a front panel and a back panel forming the second volume there between, the sealed pliable container having an upper end when the front panel and the back panel are in a vertical orientation, the sealed pliable container having a reinforced panel at the upper end, an aperture positioned through the reinforced panel above a center of gravity of the container; a concentrated liquid floor cleaning chemical in the sealed pliable container, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical having a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical, wherein the second volume is in a range from one to six fluid ounces.
 2. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the front panel and the back panel includes an outwardly extending bubble.
 3. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second volume of concentrated floor cleaning chemical is mixable in a volume of water equal to the first volume to form a floor cleaning solution.
 4. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the formulated volume percent concentration of the floor cleaning chemical at use dilution is between 0.5 and 1 v/v%.
 5. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the formulated volume percent concentration of the floor cleaning chemical at use dilution is between 1 and 1.6 v/v%.
 6. (canceled)
 7. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the reinforced panel is configured to tear away from the front panel and the back panel to open the sealed pliable container.
 8. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the front panel includes graphics configured for single package retail sale.
 9. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein a portion of the front panel and the back panel are re-sealably separable opening the sealed pliable container.
 10. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the sealed pliable container is a multi-use container, re-sealably openable and selectively dispensable in a first use for spot cleaning and openable in a second use for emptying into the supply tank.
 11. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the back panel and the reinforced panel includes a chemical applicator.
 12. The floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the back panel or the reinforced panel includes a surface agitator. 13-35. (canceled)
 36. A floor cleaner comprising: a fluid supply tank of a first volume; a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank; a sealed pliable container made of water-insoluble plastic film, the sealed pliable container having a second volume, a front panel and a back panel forming the second volume there between, the sealed pliable container having an upper end when the front panel and the back panel are in a vertical orientation, the sealed pliable container having a reinforced panel at the upper end, an aperture positioned through the reinforced panel above a center of gravity of the container; a concentrated liquid floor cleaning chemical in the sealed pliable container, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical having a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical, wherein the formulated volume percent concentration of the floor cleaning chemical at use dilution is between 0.5 and 1 v/v%.
 37. The floor cleaner of claim 36, wherein the second volume is in a range from one to six fluid ounces.
 38. The floor cleaner of claim 36, wherein at least one of the front panel and the back panel includes an outwardly extending bubble.
 39. The floor cleaner of claim 36, wherein the second volume of concentrated floor cleaning chemical is mixable in a volume of water equal to the first volume to form a floor cleaning solution.
 40. The floor cleaner of claim 36, wherein at least one of the back panel and the reinforced panel includes a chemical applicator.
 41. The floor cleaner of claim 36, wherein at least one of the back panel or the reinforced panel includes a surface agitator.
 42. A floor cleaner comprising: a fluid supply tank of a first volume; a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank; a sealed pliable container made of water-insoluble plastic film, the sealed pliable container having a second volume, a front panel and a back panel forming the second volume there between, the sealed pliable container having an upper end when the front panel and the back panel are in a vertical orientation, the sealed pliable container having a reinforced panel at the upper end, an aperture positioned through the reinforced panel above a center of gravity of the container; a concentrated liquid floor cleaning chemical in the sealed pliable container, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical having a formulated volume percent concentration at use dilution being (the second volume/the first volume)×100 v/v% floor cleaning chemical, wherein the formulated volume percent concentration of the floor cleaning chemical at use dilution is between 1 and 1.6 v/v%.
 43. The floor cleaner of claim 42, wherein the second volume is in a range from one to six fluid ounces.
 44. The floor cleaner of claim 42, wherein the second volume of concentrated floor cleaning chemical is mixable in a volume of water equal to the first volume to form a floor cleaning solution. 